InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Where Silence Meant Everything ❯ No More Fairy Tale ( Chapter 1 )

Kagome muttered something low as she allowed her body to sink further into the steaming water of the hot spring.

“You know, you could at least say something.” Sango grouched, absently making small circles in the steaming water. Kagome, she had noticed, was becoming more and more withdrawn as of late. Not to mention that Inu-Yasha hadn't exactly been around too much lately… “I don't mind crying, complaining… Hell I’ll take anything, Kagome-chan.”

Kagome sighed and stared at the light jewel floating in front of her. “Miroku and you…” Her voice cracked, and Sango's hopeful expression faltered for only a moment. She could tell Kagome still wanted to speak and she didn't dare interrupt.

Sango only offered an encouraging nod. Kagome's glower darkened. “I'm jealous, okay?” Kagome seemed a little irritated, but once more her ever-patent friend didn't comment. “N-Naraku's gone, but I still can't be… like you are with Miroku…” She sighed again.

Sango moved like a swan in the water, quickly closing the distance between her and Kagome. She wrapped her in her arms and tried her turn at letting out a little sigh. “It'll get better, Kagome…”

“Kikyou!” InuYasha's yell was interrupted by a loud crash created by the Kaze no Kizu. Kagome lay in a small heap behind Naraku's huge body.

Within the first few moments of battle Naraku had drained the miko's energy, leaving her nothing but a useless piece of baggage for InuYasha. Kagome hated that more than anything else.

InuYasha's frustration was a palpable thing. Kagome fed off of his emotion and stood on her wavering feet. Her vision was blurred, but she managed to reach a hand out, stretching it to reach the only human thing left on Naraku.

The spider scar on the human back, Onuigumo's back… As Kagome laid her hand on the mark, the shard of the Shikon no Tama gave her energy enough to see a little clearer, and use her voice.

The shard ripped from his body of its own accord, and Kagome clutched it, screaming for Inu-Yasha to use an attack, any attack. “Inu-Yasha! Hurry, the shard will become tainted again!”

“Are you stupid, wench?!” She hadn't been able to move much when a huge tendril snaked around her torso, lifting her from the ground. By then, Inu-Yasha was slightly panicked. Kagome’s body was just limp in his grasp.

“Inu-Yasha! Kaze no Kizu, onegai!” Her voice was pleading, and Inu-Yasha had no choice. He set his face and reeled back Tetsusaiga. He threw it down, and watched as Naraku's body disintegrated into miasma filled dust and an unreal shriek. His eyes quickly scanned the land for Kagome's body, and he watched in amazement as she pulled herself up, holding out the shining Shikon piece.

She offered the group a small reassuring smile, and then fainted, falling into slowly purifying miasma dust.

Kagome visibly winced at the memory. “Sango-chan… sometimes I hate myself…” Sango pulled away from her, keeping hold of her shoulders. Sango shook her head.

“You're perfect.” Sango laughed a bit at her friend's incredulous look. “I believe Inu-Yasha might be the one slightly off kilter.”

Kagome offered a light laugh, but that suddenly died as quickly as it had come. “Do you think he's with his… his…” She choked a bit and Sango shook her shoulders a bit.

“No.”

“How do you-”

“Just no, okay?”

Kagome groaned, exasperated. “Its fine you know. He loves Kikyou…”

`And how could I compete with a woman who died for him…?' Kagome stood, silently and waded her slight frame to the shore.

In the last month since the group had defeated their arch foe, Sango hadn't seen her best friend eat much of anything at all.

Even the sometimes oblivious Inu-Yasha could tell. He'd made a comment to Sango earlier that morning.

“I don't know, Sango. Just make her eat something, will you?”

Sango let out a sigh before standing as well. Staying in the warm water would do the girl no good anymore, she figured.


~*~



Inu-Yasha needed to get as far away from the stupid fucking hot spring as he possibly could.

He stopped on the next tree branch and hunkered his agile body to crouch on the sturdy branch. He ran his clawed hand over his face and let out a low growl.

The stupid wench's scent was too damn inviting, too god damn intoxicating and way too fucking sexual. He rapped his head soundly against Goshinboku for that thought.

`Fuck this… I don't know how much longer I can do this…' Something inside him stirred when he was around the completed jewel- something entirely unpleasant and unwelcome. He was beginning to fear the stupid girl…

“Do you think he's with his… his…”

`My what, stupid wench? My what?'

He couldn't answer that question any better than Kagome had in the silence that had followed the quiet question.

“He loves her…”

Inu-Yasha grimaced. Kikyou was dead. Shortly after he had taken care of Naraku, Inu-Yasha had hefted Kagome onto his back, and carried Kikyou's body to be cremated. The ashes that had settled smelled of Earth and clay, but Kaede hadn't seemed to mind when he'd given them to her.

Miroku handed the young hanyou a hand-carved wooden Urn made solely for the purpose of preserving Kikyou's ashes. “May the gods bless her once kindred spirit…”

Inu-Yasha hadn't spoken since Naraku's demise. He hadn't wanted to… not yet. Kagome was still not awake, and Miroku had performed the rite without any aide from Inu-Yasha.

He'd had no words to show respect for the miko.

Miroku lifted his head suddenly seemingly finished with the whole ordeal of preparing Kikyou. “Inu-Yasha… What will you do now? Shikon no Tama is complete, but you, my friend, remain painfully broken.”

Inu-Yasha offered him only a curt nod, turning on heel and running lightly off into the distance, Kagome shifted to cradling in his arms.

Inu-Yasha stopped his reminisce quite suddenly, as the familiar sting invaded his senses again. Her scent permeated his defenses against her, and he had to bite back the bitter taste of bile that rose to choke him.

“I knew I could find you here.” Her soft voice shattered the last defense he'd had against her, and he looked down at her soft smile.

He was surprised at the girl looking back at him.

Kagome had transformed into just a small slip of a girl he'd come to care quite a deal for. Her cheeks were sunken and her normal school outfit hung off her tiny frame. Her skirt had to be tied into a small knot at her side to keep it from sliding down.

He hefted himself off the tree and landed gracefully on the ground.

Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her.

Kagome had seemed surprised at first, but had given in and wrapped her pale, wan arms around his waist. She seemed to relax against him, and he dug his nose into her hair.

He tried to ignore the stench of death that lingered there…



~*~





Original A.N. - Now… Let's see how long I may take in posting chapter two then? Bwahahahahahaa. Well Same old song and dance, really. This thought just came to me as I was reading “Purity 5”, a wonderful fan fiction by the far more wonderful Sueric.


Edit: Alright, well I’ve decided to come back to this and do some serious editing. It’s been more than a full year since I finished this and I’m so proud of it that I want to make sure it gets a little extra attention. There won’t be anything new, just revisions and corrections. I hope that those of you reading this for the first time enjoy!

Original Post Date- November 30, 2005

Revised- February 23, 2008